Jones appointed as new council member

Current Belding City Council members welcomed Thomas Jones, the newest appointed council member, at Wednesday's meeting.

Jones was one of five people interviewed for the seat after former Belding City Council member Jon Bunce resigned early last month. He will continue to serve out the remainder of the term that expires in November of 2015 and has the opportunity to run for re-election.

Council members provided Jones with a warm welcome.

"I hope I can be of help," said Jones, adding he believes he can add knowledge to the council and help keep a balanced opinion.

Jones said he would like to work together with council and move the city in the same direction as the others, but moreso he said he has a specific goal in mind.

"I'd like to try to get more businesses in Belding," Jones added.

He said he is a business manager in the city and has served on the Belding Area Schools Board of Education, the St. Joseph Pastoral Council, finance council and school board, and has worked with different programs in Belding, including the Jaycees.

In agenda business, chickens will be not allowed within Belding city limits, as council members rejected a second reading of an ordinance amendment.

In agenda business, chickens will be not allowed within Belding city limits, as council members rejected a second reading of an ordinance amendment.

The ordinance would have allowed chickens in the R-1, R-2 and R-1.5 single-family residential districts. Up to two chickens could have been kept within 8,400 square feet to 21,000 square feet, and lots between 21,000 and 43,500 square feet could have kept up to four chickens.

Pens would have been kept at the rear yard of the residence and have adequate fencing to keep chickens in an enclosed area.

Residents who wished to keep chickens would have had to receive a City of Belding Urban Chicken Permit.

In public comment, Belding resident and Belding Planning Commission member Gary Knowlton said he feels the ordinance is "very liberal" because the lots allowing chickens are all larger than the minimum size required. He said he believes lot sizes should be larger to accommodate the birds because allowing chickens could bring feuds between neighbors and cause the part-time zoning employee additional demands. In addition, he said there is nothing to specify if a coop qualifies as a building and how to regulate the renewal process of a permit. He said he hopes the council would proceed with caution before approving the ordinance.

Belding resident Linda Rousseau said she understands why the ordinance is being reviewed, but does not want to live next to a house that has chickens.

In council comments, council member Mike Scheid said he also does not want to live next to a property housing chickens and agrees with changing the lot size requirements.

Belding Mayor Protem Andrea Belding said she also has issues with lot size requirements and added she feels enforcing the ordinance could be "a nightmare" because the city does not have the needed manpower. She said in addition, she feels residential areas outside those specified in the ordinance would be excluded, which could cause backlash.

Jones said he is not in favor and fears chickens are only the beginning of animals residents will want in city limits. He added he also is concerned with enforcement and caretaking issues.

"Unless we see a big outcry ... I'm not in favor of it," he said.

Council member Feuerstein said he is in favor of the ordinance as the city allowed owning chickens in the 1940s and he is aware of people who would like to keep chickens.

Belding Mayor Ron Gunderson said he agrees with some of the issues stated, though the ordinance would be a living document and able to be changed at any time.

Council rejected the motion with all members but Feuerstein opposed.

In more agenda business, council approved a second reading of a zoning ordinance amendment that makes requirements for secondary front yards more flexible. The amendment includes fencing, general provisions and storage of recreation equipment and residential structures.

The motion was approved with none opposed.

The Belding City council also rejected a motion regarding a public safety and fire emergency response cost recovery ordinance, which would allow the city's public safety agencies to recover assessable costs for responses from all responsible parties.

Belding Fire Chief Greg Moore said the cost would be due within 30 days, and late fees could be added. Currently, the city has a cost recovery ordinance which only addresses cost recovery for hazardous material responses by the fire department.

Emergency responses would include technical rescues, bomb threats, hazardous materials incidents, illegal fires, demolitions, weapons of mass destruction, false alarms and threats of harm to oneself or others. However, Moore said each case would be looked at individually and more than one person would decide whether to charge for a recovery cost.

Belding said she though she understands most of the circumstances listed, she believes the ordinance is too raw and vague.

Jones said he agreed with Belding about the vague opinion, adding he did not like the language of "may" or "may not." He wants specifics, he added.

Council rejected the motion with Jones, Belding and Feuerstein opposed.

In addition, council members approved an Ionia County Mutual Aid Compact Agreement, which is expected to accommodate different types of emergency responses, including public works, law enforcement and fire safety, and allow them to share services and resources. County attorneys have reviewed and approved the agreement, Moore added, and the Belding Fire Department also has recommended the approval. The city has written mutual aid agreements with Kent County and the city of Ionia, he said.

The motion was approved with Feuerstein opposed.

In more news, council approved a motion to accept a memorandum of understanding from the Michigan Region 6 Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) Task Force, which states two members of the Belding Fire Department have been selected as task force rescue specialists.

Moore said he and fellow full-time fire fighter Tim Lubitz qualify to take part in the task force, that would be used during natural disasters. He added he and Lubitz are the only two people in Ionia County who have technical rescue training and can be used for the task force. Region 6, he said, includes 13 counties and is the second task force in the state following a task force in the Detroit area.

The memo states the city should give consent for the members to perform search and rescue activities assigned to the task force, understand the members may be deployed both in state and outside of Michigan, allow the members to participate in training exercises, be responsible for all permits, certifications, licenses and authorizations for the task force members and understand the task force members are subject to the operational control of the authority in charge in the area in which they are deployed.